Re: Shades of Versailles, editorial, Aug. 31. A wonderful editorial but delusional. The so-called Arab Spring will only result in new dictatorships or military juntas to replace the old. Societies where celebrations are marked with citizens firing machine guns into the air are not societies that are ready for true democracy, where the courts have the final word based upon laws respecting human rights and equality for women.

These are countries where the youngest of school children are taught to hate Israel and the United States. These are countries who ethnically cleansed themselves of Christians, Jews and followers of Bahai. These are countries who will probably never understand the separation of mosque and state. Will the new Arab leaders recognize that trade with Israel will enhance their own scientific and industrial bases? Will the new leaders recognize that the Arab world has a dismal percentage of young people graduating from universities and, in fact have exceedingly high illiteracy rates? Will the new leaders be willing to invest the dollars needed in research and development and encourage individuals to invest in startup endeavours that create employment and healthy competition? Yes, these Arab citizens have braved the worst of it thus far and have put their lives on the line in the interests of change. It’s one thing to dance in the streets and cheer the revolution but after everyone goes home, that is when the hard work will really begin. Gerald Silverman, Côte Saint-Luc, Que.

Justice is not served by blindly charging ahead

Re: Left Coast Rioters Get Off Easy, editorial, Sept. 1. The National Post’s editorial board has rushed to judge the motives and practices of the Vancouver Police Department and B.C. Crown Counsel, in regard to the riots following the Canucks’ loss in the Stanley Cup final. The insinuation that both the police and Crown Counsel are pulling punches is wholly without merit. As proof, you offer the fact that police are seeking to fully investigate all the crimes that were committed during the riots. You state that time spent doing this is somehow denying justice. In fact, it is a full investigation that will provide for justice, as it will afford the fullest picture of an accuseds’ actions. Justice is not served by blindly charging ahead without all the facts. No one is served by allowing the guilty to go unpunished for acts not yet uncovered. Justice and the B.C. residents are served well by B.C. Crown Counsel who require a substantial likelihood of conviction before laying charges. This does not make Crown Counsel soft on crime. Most people would agree that since convictions can only happen when the evidence shows beyond a reasonable doubt that an accused committed the crime, it only makes sense for the prosecution to only charge someone when such evidence exists and is fully investigated. Samiran P. Lakshman, president, B.C. Crown Counsel Association, Vancouver.

It’s now more than two months since the Vancouver Stanley Cup riot took place, and “all’s quiet on the ‘Western front.” After all, in contrast to the swift justice dealt those London rioters, here in B.C. we take things a little more slowly, secure in the knowledge that our very own Stanley Cup rioters and looters will ultimately be dealt with by the “firm” hand of our justice system, meting out our very own unique action brand of Canadian justice. No doubt, Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms will come to the “rescue” of all those eventually charged with criminal conduct, who will claim having their Charter Rights to free expression was violated. Can a class action suit against the City of Vancouver be far behind on behalf of all rioters whose pictures were taken without their explicit consent, in clear violation of their Charter Rights to privacy? I suspected the rioters will manage to emerge unscathed as the true “victims” of Vancouver’s 2011 post-game riot.

E.W. Bopp, Tsawwassen, B.C.

Long has he reigned

Re: Long-Reigning Heads Of State, letter to the editor, Sept. 1. While letter-writer Ian McVay is correct to note that Americans often confuse the idea of a “head of state” with the distinct, and separate office of “head of government,” his citation of Elizabeth II as the world’s longest-reigning head of state reflects an equally unfortunate tendency among Canadian monarchists to exaggerate the importance of our Queen. Bhumibol Adulyadej, the current King of Thailand, has been on the throne since June of 1946, making him the undisputed claimant to the “world’s longest” title. J.J. McCullough, Coquitlam, B.C.

Asbestos kills — case closed

Re: Asbestos Has Been Unfairly Mal­i­g­ned, letter to the editor, Sept. 1. I’m not sure how anyone can oppose listing chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous substance in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. Letter-writer Daniel Sherry defends the industry, saying that safety measures around the handling the chrysotile mineral has been continually refined. That may be true, but does Mr. Sherry not think workers in developing countries like India should know what those handling instructions are? The listing would allow two things: It would require safety labelling on all asbestos products; it would allow countries that believe they are unable to meet the requirements for safe handling spelled out in the safety information to block its importation. The reason that most medical professionals in the world (not just Canada) think that chrysotile asbestos should be listed as a hazardous substance is because more than 100,000 people a year die of asbestos diseases such as mesothelioma. I will take up the challenge of researching the names Mr. Sherry provided when he investigates the names of the 100,000 who have died in the last year. Gannon McCauley, Ottawa.

Fair taxation

Re: What We Learned From B.C.’s HST Referendum, letters to the editor, Aug. 31. Regarding fairness and the GST, letter-writer Randy Meyer — like so many in the debate — do not understand taxation. Corporations do not pay taxes. People do. A corporation may file a tax return, but the taxes that it pays are built into the price of what ever product or service is sold or produced. The money comes from people when they buy the good or service. As for “fairness,” I can think of no fairer way to tax than a flat percentage: 5% of nothing is nothing, 5% of a billion dollars is quite a bit. I for one prefer open taxation so I can see exactly what I am paying and when the government gets my chunk. Not the false security of hidden taxation. Wade Pearson, Calgary.

The NHL’s ugly side exposed

Re: ‘He Will Be Missed’; Belak Dead At 35, Sept. 1. The tragic circumstances of former NHLer Wade Belak’s death are a sad reminder of a characteristic which plagues most North American sports — success relies heavily on violence and brute force, which the fans have been indoctrinated into admiring and even craving. More and more, for a male sports professional to succeed, he must be well above average weight and muscularly endowed; a belligerent, aggressive attitude also doesn’t hurt. This is all in stark contrast to the most popular sport on Earth, soccer. No doubt there are many mean spirits who play soccer, but the game is strongly regulated, with ball skills much more important than brute force. Perhaps this is why it is known as the beautiful game. Alex Taylor, Toronto.

Understanding Asperger’s

Re: Toronto Police Used Handcuffs To Restrain Boy, Aug. 31. I object to the inaccurate portrayal of Asperger Syndrome in this story about a boy with autism being handcuffed by police. I am the founder of the Midnight In Chicago initiative, a group which raises awareness of disabilities with a special focus on Autism Spectrum Disorders. I am also a single parent raising a teen diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. This story paraphrases Autism Canada spokeswoman Laurie Mawlam as saying that: “autism and Asperger syndrome differ because autism is a three-fold disease that includes language problems, social difficulties and repetitive behaviour, whereas Asperger syndrome is a social disorder.” This is an incorrect. Just because those with Asperger Syndrome are verbal does not mean they do not experience language problems; they do. They also experience repetitive behaviours — some that are less discernible than others — and social difficulties. I would strongly suggest that in the future, reporters contact Asperger Ontario for accurate information on Asperger Syndrome. Elyse Bruce, Peterborough, Ont.

More ‘when does life begin’ debate

Re: Fetuses Are Less Than Human, But More Than Nothing, Chris Selley, Aug. 30. For pro-choicers to say that “Fetuses are less than human” is inhuman. Every person, every child conceived in the womb has a right to life from the moment of conception. They have the same genetic composition as you and I do from that moment on. So the question is, not whether this is a human life but whether this human life is a person under the Constitution? Those who say “no” at any stage of a person’s existence is nothing more than a selfish nihilist. In an Orwellian effort to change the debate and assuage their consciences, abortion advocates have fashioned a “rights language” to make it somehow sound enlightened. It does not work. Science has confirmed what our conscience long ago told all of us ­— the child in the womb is one of us. He/she is our neighbour. It is always wrong to kill an innocent neighbour. Intentional abortion is wrong and should be illegal in a just society. Paul Kokoski, Hamilton, Ont.

As a regular reader of Chris Selley, I was amused by the spectacle of this apparent tough-guy, tell-it-like-it-is columnist fold his tent and flee from confronting the tough truths of his pro-choice position. He feels that the only point at which it makes sense to defend a new human life “is the one we have now: birth.” Really? This iteration of the “born-alive” rule did make sense at the time it was formulated. That would be the late 1390s. Medicine has come some way since then. Genetics, physiology and four-dimensional fetal ultrasound have afforded us a lot better understanding of a baby’s life in the womb. Unless Mr. Selley feels it would also “make sense” to avail himself of leeches, poultices and other medical skills at the time of Henry IV, his credibility in defending abortion would be better served by being honest in real time. Dr. Paul Ranalli, Toronto.

The penultimate paragraph in Chris Selley’s column grabs the issue by the throat: “the outcome of an abortion is the same regardless of its particulars: a life halted along the same continuum we all followed to where we are now.” Mr. Selley then concludes that the legal demarcation line between therapy and murder is: Birth. He concludes this because he finds there is a difference of opinion on how the “particulars” of abortion might affect one’s “opinion.” The rational view is that when conception occurs, human life begins. This is a matter of science; human knowledge. It is not determined by a Gallup poll. Reason, which is the basis of moral reasoning, is not determined by pollsters bothering strangers by phone at mealtime. Moral reasoning, not polls, is the basis of all law. Reason would advocate protecting human life by law all along the continuum, to birth and beyond. Jim Jordan, Stouffville, Ont.

The Times of Malta had a heated debate on “human life” and abortion, as the Roman Catholic Church is enshrined in the Maltese constitution; it is the island’s official religion. The issue debated in Malta was whether “human life” constituted a “person.” According to Genesis, it was when God blew the breath of life into his nostrils that man became a “living being.” As still-born babies are not baptized, the Church should be wary about their version of “human life.” Olga Pitcairn, New Hope, Penn.

When my assistant said there was a call from the White House, I picked up, said 'Hello' and started to ask if this was a prank

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